Scientology

Shewhomustbe...

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/seanellis/scientology.htm

(Hope I've posted this in the right place)

Rev Hellfire

Release the lawyers !

Zillah

*lawyers leap out windows to their deaths*

Continue the research...

Zombrex

Zillah wrote:

*lawyers leap out windows to their deaths*

Continue the research...

LOL


To OP, nothing new there, everyone knows the Scientiologist are nutty by religious standards (and thats saying something) and you aren't really commentting anything except a link to an article.

What would you like us to discuss exactly?

Asiaprod

The only thing that needs to be said about this sudo religion has already been said by the great overlord himself:

"If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion."
May 1980 Reader's Digest

He sure got that one right;)

Zillah

What I love about the scientologists is that they're not a silly cult with crazy beliefs. They're a silly cult with crazy beliefs and have billions of dollars and are insanely powerful. Like if a mega corporation was also a cult.

Zombrex

Zillah wrote:

What I love about the scientologists is that they're not a silly cult with crazy beliefs.

What I don't get is how all these celebs are suckered in. I can understand them brain washing innocent idiots off the street with "personality tests" ("I'm sorry sir but your personity is not suited to Scientology, take your money and get out!"), but they celebs have money and hords of people around them. I would imagine it is hard to brain wash them into anything (unless u are one of the people around them I suppose).

robindch

> What I don't get is how all these celebs are suckered in.

Don't think there are too many of them -- Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Kirsty Alley, that guy Isaac Hayes who voiced one of the characters on South Park until he threw in the towel last week. And that's about it, I think.

Actually, the strategy is quite a good one to adopt in a country like the USA which obsesses about fame and celebrity, so it makes sense to proselytize by having a few high-profile "stars" willing to speak out "against the establishment" and in favour of the religion. Though while Cruise's daft outburst last year about psychiatry might have got scientology into the papers, it hasn't changed people's opinion that he's a supremely irritating git.

Zombrex

robindch wrote:

And that's about it, I think.

Ah no there are loads

http://www.adherents.com/largecom/fam_scientologist.html

Dades

One day the dream will come true and we'll get an actual Scientologist on Boards that we can engage in "intelligent debate".

Asiaprod

Wicknight wrote:

Ah no there are loads

http://www.adherents.com/largecom/fam_scientologist.html

Quite a list. And all these payed about 300,000$ to get to the top OTs. I just got to get on that secret boat and find out what they are being told.

lostexpectation

might as well move this to spiritual...

monkeyfudge

There isn't a bus stop outside their place anymore. But I remember a good few years ago I had to wait for a bus outside there place, back when they still had a full shop front.

I remember wondering how many poor suckers on that bus route had been dragged in for personality tests.

But I remember arguing with the guy who wanted me to do the personality test, he was drawing my attention to this poster in the window that had photos of Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and John Travolta etc... and stated that they were Scientologists. Then underneath that they had photos of a bunch of other celebraties who all happened to be openly gay and it stated that they weren't Scientologists.

So pretty much their message was "Only queers aren't scientoligsts, you're not a queer are you?!?"

Of course one of the many services that scientologists claim to offer is a cure for homosexuality... they also tape record all the sessions. So I'd imagine they have a large body of interesting recordings on Tom Cruise...

"Tom Cruise, will you please come out of the closet?"

lostexpectation

isn't kalabla taken over from scientology as the celebrity religion

Dades

lostexpectation wrote:

might as well move this to spiritual...

TBH I can't see them being too pushed about this thread there either. I've never seen a positive view on Scientology on Boards (though I live in hope) so methinks the discussion has all but run its course anyway.

Zombrex

lostexpectation wrote:

isn't kalabla taken over from scientology as the celebrity religion

But unlike Scientologiy proper followers of Kabala are horrified about people like Madona joining up. Sure didn't Britney get a kabala symbol tatooed (which is against the Jewish religion) backwards and upside down on her neck.

Is this so people looking in their rear view mirrors on the motorway can see Britney is into Jewish mystisim behind them (and I would assume pull the feck over and let her pass)?

Would be like getting "sevaS suseJ" tatooed to your arm. How f**king stupid can you be :rolleyes:

Asiaprod

Wicknight wrote:

But unlike Scientologiy proper followers of Kabala are horrified about people like Madona joining up. Sure didn't Britney get a kabala symbol tatooed (which is against the Jewish religion) backwards and upside down on her neck.

Not that I like ether of them, but at least I would give Madona a little more credit than Miss "I am board lets get married for a day" Spears.

Dades

Asiaprod wrote:

I would give Madona a little more credit than Miss "I am board lets get married for a day" Spears.

Nothing hurts like unrequited love.

Zombrex

Asiaprod wrote:

Miss "I am board lets get married for a day" Spears.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas ... expect marriage and herpes ...

Zillah

Ew.

pH

But unlike Scientologiy proper followers of Kabala are horrified about people like Madona joining up. Sure didn't Britney get a kabala symbol tatooed (which is against the Jewish religion) backwards and upside down on her neck.

Not sure what you mean by 'proper followers', but the Kabbalah center is the main organisation (that we hear about) these days and are quite happy to promote madonna's attendance to get their followers to pay for expensive trips to conferences.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3658628.stm

The BBC filmed them selling water to someone who claimed to have cancer with the promise that the water can cure cancer.

They also have a bizarre claim that you can benefit from their 'holy book' even without being able to read the language by 'scanning' your finger over the text and mumbling!

Asiaprod

They also have a bizarre claim that you can benefit from their 'holy book' even without being able to read the language by 'scanning' your finger over the text and mumbling![/quote]

Actually, that is not as bizarre as you might think. I have the same situation as a Buddhist. My Sutras, Goshos and chants are all written in a very archaic forms of Pali and Sanskrit. I do not read either and translations of them are not that accurate, yet I recite these Sutras for the purpose of gaining enlightenment.
But definitely, definitely, no miracle water or magic snake oil allowed.

Asiaprod

The Atheist wrote:

Nothing hurts like unrequited love.

chump

Not Seinfeld!

He can't have been suckered...

http://www.adherents.com/people/ps/Jerry_Seinfeld.html

lostexpectation

everyone of them is taking the piss as much as hubbard was?

issyfro

Check out scientology.com it's a freakout...like an all-american advertisment or something... What is wrong with these people?

legspin

issyfro wrote:

Check out scientology.com it's a freakout...like an all-american advertisment or something... What is wrong with these people?

Therein lies the crux of the issue methinks:p

jtsuited

i'm really confused about beck though. He's a really really really clever guy and not some sort of puppet retard like tom cruise.
It's actually making me wonder about this scientology malarky. I actually read the first few pages of dianetics, and there was no mention of aliens and Xenu and all that jive.

Zombrex

jtsuited wrote:

i'm really confused about beck though. He's a really really really clever guy and not some sort of puppet retard like tom cruise.
It's actually making me wonder about this scientology malarky. I actually read the first few pages of dianetics, and there was no mention of aliens and Xenu and all that jive.

Thats because it is one of the hidden secrets that are only explained to high up (and rich) scientologiest when they are "ready" for the knowledge (ie they have saved enough money)

You only get to the Xenu crap after you have paid the CoS $20,000 (who says Scientology is just about the money!) and are taken out on a special boat to international waters to be shown the truth ...

One of the core beliefs of Scientology is that of past lives, that teh soul moves on to the next body and never dies (or something like that). WHen you reach a high level in the church you start getting taught that these past lives include souls from alien races that were brought to earth by Xenu and destroyed by a nuclear blast under volcanos. Thats when it all starts getting a little silly.

I think it is amazing people follow this. Hubbard was a average sci-fi writter who took way way too much drugs and started to believe his own writing.

pH

I think it is amazing people follow this. Hubbard was a average sci-fi writter who took way way too much drugs and started to believe his own writing.

I wonder why you find it amazing? I'm not having a go at you here, I mean I do too, I guess we're just conditioned.

We accept that people believe in a water walking, disease curing, virgin born, death-escaping son of God! - Don't even start me on the Old Testament!

When you look at it are thetans and auditing really that much more implausible or hard to swallow than any of the standard things that Christians believe in?

jtsuited

pH wrote:

We accept that people believe in a water walking, disease curing, virgin born, death-escaping son of God!

Please take note of the forum this is in!!

pH

jtsuited wrote:

Please take note of the forum this is in!!

I'm sure there's something clever or subtle about that post, but I've failed to get it - perhaps you could elaborate.

jtsuited

we don't accept that belief. We (i think by definition) completely disagree with people who have a belief in such a mystical and marvellous being.
In the same way that many here take issue with the scientologists and their xenu,engrams etc.

jtsuited

but this guy hubbard really does seem fascinating!!
Even for a nutjob religion guy, he's got a hell of a lot of charisma

Zombrex

pH wrote:

I wonder why you find it amazing? I'm not having a go at you here, I mean I do too, I guess we're just conditioned.

We accept that people believe in a water walking, disease curing, virgin born, death-escaping son of God! - Don't even start me on the Old Testament!

I find that amazing too, but at least older religions like Judo/Christian religions have a large weight of historical following behind them. It is easier to accept a religion when millions have been following it all around you and it is entwined with the culture. Most of my friends who are religious seem to follow Christianity almost as a given without really thinking about the logic of what they actually are believing.

With something like Scientiology, a new religion without the weight of culture behind it, someone has to sit down and go "umm, yes that makes sense" and choose to join the religion.

DOLEMAN

Wicknight wrote:

What I don't get is how all these celebs are suckered in.

Are you trying to suggest celebs are happy, secure, intelligent, non-egotistical, stable people??

Zombrex

DOLEMAN wrote:

Are you trying to suggest celebs are happy, secure, intelligent, non-egotistical, stable people??

You mean Tom "I love yer one in Dawsons Creek" Cruise isn't

John R

Wicknight wrote:

I find that amazing too, but at least older religions like Judo/Christian religions have a large weight of historical following behind them. It is easier to accept a religion when millions have been following it all around you and it is entwined with the culture. Most of my friends who are religious seem to follow Christianity almost as a given without really thinking about the logic of what they actually are believing.

Is that really believing though, most people I know who claim to believe are really just following the pack. They default to agreeing with the majority without any real thought going into the belief system. It is a mixture of sheep mentality and constant conditioning from childhood.

I also know some people who have total belief in mainstream religions and in many ways they are more like scientologists than average non-practicing christians.

Wicknight wrote:

With something like Scientiology, a new religion without the weight of culture behind it, someone has to sit down and go "umm, yes that makes sense" and choose to join the religion.

Not if you believe all the brainwashing stories. Besides there are ALOT of very suggestible people out there that will latch on to almost anything given the right circumstances.

Zombrex

John R wrote:

Not if you believe all the brainwashing stories.

Yeah thats true .. Scientology does seem to have a bit of a habit of targetting the easy to manipulate, with those "personality test" .. that sounds like the lawyers outside

Sam Vimes

pH wrote:

I'm sure there's something clever or subtle about that post, but I've failed to get it - perhaps you could elaborate.

emm, its the atheism forum, we don't believe in god